Intro Notes Flashcards
What time were the Middle Ages ?
450-1485
What does the term Middle Ages itself implies ?
A barren interval between two great eras of achievement
What are the 2 eras ?
Classical Rome and the Renaissance
What was the accurate assessment of the Middle Ages ?
It was a time of dynamic change
Who named it the dark ages who were hostile to all religious faith ?
The 18th century rationalist
Pockets with true Christianity existed with what ?
Both within and without the Roman Church
What happened after the Norman invasion in 1066 ?
Political change grew gradually from within
What was the language of the ruling class and business after the Norman invasion ?
French
What are 2 major contributions ?
The Normans made to English life was a new nobility and a strongly centralized feudal administration
What language had the most impact on old English and is most apparent in ordinary speech and grammar ?
Scandinavian
The introduction of what contributed most to old English as a written and spoken language ?
Latin alphabet
What influenced the Middle Ages in the church, scholarship, and diplomacy ?
Latin
What was the earliest, surviving English poem ?
Caedmon’s Hymn
What was the subject of Caedmon’s Hymn ?
Creation
Humor in old English poetry as in what form ?
Irony and riddles
Alfred concern for an educated leadership and the loose of Latin manuscript of the Vikings raids were the reason for what ?
Most old English literature being translated into West Satin dialect
Some common features of old English poetry were what ?
Irony, alliterations, and variations
Who invented the first movable-type printing press and printed the Gutenberg Bible in 1940 ?
Johannes Gutenberg
Who was known as the venerable because of his reputation for piety and scholarship, a Benedictine monk ?
Bede
The E.H of the E.P. is a major source of info about what ?
The Anglo-Saxon before the time of Alfred the Great
In Bede’s history, the most accurate description of Caedmon is what ?
He was a humble, uneducated man who had the gift of versifying sacred history
What was the purpose of the history ?
To chart the spread of Christianity throughout England from Roman times to present (the Christianity was catholicism)
In “Conversion of Edwin”, the three basic philosophical questions alluded to by Edwin’s more spirituality astute counselor deal with what ?
The subject of origins, meaning, and destiny
Who uses the illustration of the sparrow to portray the brevity of life ?
King Edwin’s counselor
The recurrence of consonant sounds at the beginning of nearby stressed syllables
Alliteration
A long, stylized narrative poem celebrating the deeds of a national or ethnic hero
Epic
Major pauses within lines
Caesuras
The giving of personal characteristics to something that is not person
Personification
A metaphoric compound of two words
Kenning
A short, melodic, personally expressive poem
Lyric poetry
The expression of an idea in a roundabout, more elegant way
Periphrastic epithet
The reputation of an idea in different words with the same grammatical form
Variation
Instruction in Literature
Didactic
A standard type or category of literature
Genre
An old English poet or bard
Scop
A poem of serious reflection for death or loss
Elegiac poem
Who was the author of Beowulf ?
Unknown
What is the focus of Beowulf ?
An epic poem
When was is produced ?
During the old English period
Where was the setting ?
Denmark and Sweden
What does it reflects ?
Old country origins
Why was King Hrothgar and his warriors are afraid to stay in the Mead Hall ?
Grendel, an anthropomorphic monster who regularly invades the hall, kills and consumes the Warriors
How does Beowulf hear about the plight of the Danes ?
From the sailors and decides to go to the aid of them
What values does he live by ?
Courage
Loyalty
Physical bravery
How is he confident ?
In his exceptional strength will allow him to save the Danes from Grendel
King Hrothgar and his men warmly receive Beowulf and his offer to help. Allow expect who and why ?
Unferth and because he was jealous of the attention and adulatory bestowed on Beowulf
How does unferth undermine Beowulf ?
He undermines the heroes status by incorrectly stating that Beowulf once lost to a swimming race to Breca
What did Beowulf point out ?
He did not lose the race but defeated sea monsters instead
What does Beowulf also state ?
If unferth is so great, then why is Grendel still alive ?
Where was Beowulf’s battle with Grendel ?
In the Mead hall (Herot)
Grendel kills and devours one of Beowulf’s Swedish companions. What happened in a hand to hand combat ?
Beowulf defeats Grendel by wrenching his arm out of his socket. Grendel is mortally wounded and went home to die
Grendel’s mother was bitter and furious that she lost her only son. How does she avenge his death ?
She busted in unexpectedly and killed one the King’s favorite warriors
Beowulf’s battle w/ Grendel’s mother is different:
He must pursue her to her home beneath a deep pool (territory he is not familiar with)
Battles Grendel with bare hands but with his mother, he discovers that supposedly invincible sword, hrunting, that was given by Unferth, fails. He uses a sword he found in the underwater den and destroys the sea troll
After completing this mission, Beowulf is given great honor and material rewards, sails back to Sweden and after his uncle passes, he became king of what ?
King of the Geats in Southern Sweden
After successfully ruling the Geats for 50 years, what was Beowulf confronted with ?
The problem of a murderous dragon, his final battle
Beowulf’s final wishes
To gaze upon the treasure he has won for his people by slaying the dragon, he appoints wiglaf as his successor, instructs the people to bury him on a prominent headland by the sea, so the passing sailors will be reminded of his valorous deeds and his fame will live on
Kinsman of Hygelac is who ?
Beowulf
Fate (the Anglo-Saxon belief and philosophy was that “all men must die”)
Wyrd
The evidence that Christian elements are inserted is the ?
Assertion that Wyrd is providence
A national army
Fyrd
Who is defined by the kenning, “giver of treasure” and why was he happy ?
Refers to the Danish King, Hrothgar, and he is happy b/c Beowulf is coming to his rescue to defeat Grendel
Beowulf defeats the dragon
He wears protective gear b/c he expects the dragon to attack w/ fire and poison
Main theme of Beowulf
That the continuance of civilization requires virtuous heroes
Grendel was an offspring to who
Cain
What does Beowulf illustrate ?
The traditional heroic virtues of fortitude, prudence, loyalty, and generosity
The epic has a circular structure
It begins and ends w/ the funeral of an aged King
What is the traditional aim of the poet ?
To teach by delighting
Danes are being assaulted by Grendel b/c why ?
Of the sin of pride
The King most responsible for the initiation of the “Anglo-Saxon Chronicles” was who ?
Alfred the Great
Who lacked the heroic quality of generosity ?
William of Normandy
What did William’s “domesday book” record ?
The survey of all the property owned in England
When King Ethelred died, who chose Edmund as the next King ?
The Witan
Edmund faced many difficulties in his effort to defend England. The greater mobility of the dames, the unreliability of what ?
Of his followers, and conflicting loyalties in the Danelaw
As a ruler, William the Conquerer is best described as what ?
Severe
The English under William valued what ?
Tyranny more than Anarchy
Who was important to both the defense and determination of policy in England ?
London
In the riddles about the shield and the weathercock, which are monologues, the attitude is best describe as what ?
Resigned
An iceberg is considered charming b/c ?
It’s beauty tempts sailors to sail closer than is safe
In riddle 4, water is both what ?
A blessing and a curse
